Intel Core i7-4770K Haswell Processor

Once again we see an improvement in idle energy efficiency. Also, somewhat strangely, we've noted efficiency improvements in our video playback test going from Sandy Bridge to Ivy Bridge, and now from Ivy Bridge to Haswell, despite running on discrete graphics for our CPU tests. On heavy load, the i7-4770K stayed more or less on par with the Ivy Bridge i7-3770K and the Sandy Bridge i7-2600K.

For users with balanced workloads, we've determined what we call the "average power consumption" which assumes the system is used half the time for light load activities (an average of idle and H.264 playback) and the remaining half for heavy load (an average of the power consumption used running our five benchmarks). We believe this is a very common usage pattern for an average PC  they are often left on for long periods of time, doing little to no work.

In this scenario, the Core i7-4770K edges out its Ivy Bridge and Sandy Bridge cousins by 5W and has a massive lead over Sandy Bridge Extreme and Bulldozer.

For users with heavy workloads, the total power consumed while running our benchmark suite is of pertinent interest. The total power takes into account the energy efficiency of each CPU while running our benchmark tests as well as how quickly they complete each task. This simulates the power draw of a machine that is purely for doing work and shuts down when its job is finished.

Low power consumption coupled with strong performance gives the 4770K an easy win here, beating out the 3770K by 1.6 Watt-hours.